February 2, 2018

Orange County

Voice of OC: Law enforcement ups Santa Ana riverbed homeless evictions; federal judge is asked to stop them

One deputy that day said he expected it to take several weeks before the area is clear. There were 500 or more people living along the riverbed when the evictions began. County officials don’t have a specific count, but a number of homeless people have left.

 

OC Register: Orange County’s only needle exchange shuts down; advocates fear increased HIV transmission

City leaders, in refusing the Orange County Needle Exchange Program a permit on Jan. 17, claimed the program had resulted in uncapped hypodermic needle littering the area in and around the Civic Center, endangering public employees and others.

 

OC Register: Seedy motel in Santa Ana is reborn as housing for homeless people

Most of the inhabitants came from the city’s Civic Center area, where hundreds of homeless people live and sleep outdoors in conditions rife with criminal activity and poor sanitation. Today, the residents of The Orchard live in studio and one-bedroom apartments furnished with a bed and a dresser, featuring small kitchens equipped with refrigerator and stove and private bathrooms.

 

OC Register: Southern California inflation hits 9-year high. Blame housing!

It’s probably a surprise to nobody that rising inflation is linked to the local CPI’s “shelter expense” — one measure of what it takes to own or rent and operate a household — which remains at its highest rate since 2007.

 

OC Register: Democratic House candidates pour millions into their own campaigns

Democratic candidates hoping to take Orange County’s four Republican congressional seats have raised nearly $8 million from donors while adding another $7 million from their own pockets in contributions and loans, according to federal campaign filings due Wednesday.

 

California

OC Register: 98% of California jurisdictions fail to approve adequate housing, state report finds

Under Senate Bill 35 — one of 15 new laws approved last year to address California’s housing crisis — developers seeking permits in those jurisdictions can get streamlined approvals, granted without an appearance before city councils and county supervisors, as long as they meet certain conditions.

 

LA Times: California Legislature releases a decade's worth of records on sexual harassment investigations

There were 62 claims made against Assembly lawmakers or staff and 17 made against senators or staff since 2006. Among those are Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), state Sens. Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) and Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D-Marina del Rey).

 

Publication Date: February 2, 2018